New Testament | Matthew (Part 1)
In this lecture from Dr. Michael McKay’s New Testament Literature course at Cedarville University, students begin an in-depth study of the Gospel of Matthew, exploring how Matthew presents Jesus as the fulfillment of Israel’s story and the Old Testament promises.
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Dr. McKay reviews key themes from earlier sessions — the importance of story, the flow of biblical history through the Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman empires, and the development of Jewish sects and expectations in the Second Temple period — before turning to Matthew’s unique portrait of Jesus. He explains how Matthew weaves Old Testament prophecies, genealogies, and symbols into his narrative to show that Jesus is the true Son of God, the promised Davidic King, and the greater Moses who fulfills Israel’s mission and reveals the Kingdom of Heaven.
The lecture highlights Matthew’s literary and theological depth, emphasizing that readers should move beyond isolated proof texts to see how Jesus completes the entire story of Israel. Students learn how to approach Matthew devotionally — asking what each passage teaches about God, humanity, and their relationship — while seeing how Matthew’s Gospel connects the Old and New Testaments as one unified story of redemption.
Timestamps:
0:00 Review — the role of story and the transition from Old to New Testament
1:01 Empires and expectations — setting the stage for the Gospels
1:33 What is a Gospel? Biography, testimony, and transformation
2:23 Reading narratives — plot, rhetoric, and authorial intent
3:10 Matthew’s distinct portrait of Jesus
4:14 Avoiding “Christmas and Easter” reading habits
5:45 Background and authorship of Matthew
6:21 Church tradition on Matthew the Apostle
7:26 Audience and date — likely Jewish Christians before AD 70
8:55 Matthew’s purpose — Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament expectations
9:50 The structure of Matthew and five teaching blocks
10:25 Michael Heiser quote — Jesus as the center of God’s redemptive story
11:25 How Matthew uses the Old Testament — fulfillment and typology
14:05 “This was to fulfill…” — ten direct fulfillment citations
15:23 Jesus as the representative of Israel — true Son of God
17:12 Old Testament background — Israel, David, and the sons of God theme
19:29 Jesus’ testing in the wilderness — faithful where Israel failed
22:11 Jesus as the suffering servant who bears our iniquities
23:01 Jesus’ mission fulfills Israel’s mission — Great Commission and Exodus 19
24:03 Why Matthew stands first in the New Testament canon
26:07 The testing of Jesus — distinguishing testing from temptation
29:34 Jesus as faithful Israel — the true and sinless Son
32:05 Jesus as the greater fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14
33:16 Context of Isaiah 7–9 and “God With Us” (Emmanuel)
36:00 Virgin birth — Hebrew and Greek word study explained
38:51 Jesus’ healing ministry and the suffering servant of Isaiah 53
40:48 Reading Matthew as theology — Jesus succeeds where Israel failed
41:06 Moving beyond “proof-text” reading — seeing Israel’s full story
43:02 Jesus as the Davidic King, Son of God from David’s line
44:13 The triumphal entry — fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy
45:31 Crucifixion mockery — “King of Israel” and “Son of God”
46:48 Genealogy — Jesus as the Son of David and heir to the throne
49:42 The number 14 — symbolic link to David’s name
50:20 Israel’s exile and the hope for a coming king
52:24 “Son of God” as Davidic heir and divine ruler
53:24 Jesus as prophet and new Moses — a new lawgiver
54:42 Sermon on the Mount — kingdom law from the mountain
55:15 Feeding the multitudes — echoing Moses in the wilderness
56:03 The expected prophet like Moses — Deuteronomy 18 and Acts 7
56:36 Possible structure of Matthew’s five discourses mirroring the Torah
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